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Deadly US winter storm blamed for loss of 11 lives

A cyclist rides down a snow-covered street as a major storm hits Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Sunday. PHOTO: EPA

Even as a deadly snowstorm loosened its grip on the US upper Midwest, officials warned that holiday travelers still faced treacherous roadways yesterday.

At least 11 deaths were blamed on the storm, which led to multi-car pileups that closed parts of several major highways in the Plains and knocked out power to thousands of businesses and homes across the Midwest.

Snow and strong wind gusts made for tough driving, but conditions began to ease yesterday, when winter storm warnings for parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan were set to lapse.

However, that would not necessarily mean safer roads, authorities said.

"The roads aren't quite as ice-covered, but we're still telling people not to drive unless they have to," said Sergeant Tim Elve of the Dane County Sheriff's Office. "The interstate is still slick and the rural roads are really bad."

Authorities had issued urgent pleas for travelers to remain home on Sunday, but officials worried that those travelers would insist on driving yesterday, regardless of the weather, to get to their destinations for Christmas Eve.

"I know it's the holidays, but we hope people use some common sense when traveling," said Sergeant Chad Breuer of the Grant County Sheriff's Department in southwest Wisconsin.

The storm rolled through Colorado and Wyoming on Friday, then spread snow and ice on Saturday from the Texas Panhandle to Wisconsin. Radar showed snow falling across much of Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota on Sunday and moving into parts of Michigan and Indiana.

The weather system also spread heavy rain on Sunday from the Southeast to the lower Great Lakes.

The area of Madison, Wisconsin, received three to four hours of freezing rain early on Sunday. The combination of the icy pavement and gusty wind made driving treacherous.

Wind gusting to more than 80kph uprooted trees in parts of Michigan.

Winds were recorded blowing as fast as 142kph over Lake Michigan, with gusts of 80kph to 109kph across the Chicago region, the National Weather Service said.

Because of the wind, airlines canceled more than 300 flights on Sunday at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, the city's Aviation Department said. Municipal officials said the winds had knocked out nearly 170 traffic signals and there were more than 500 reports of fallen trees and branches.

More than 11,000 homes and businesses were without power at some point on Saturday in Wisconsin because of the freezing rain, ice, gusty wind and heavy snow, utilities said. Michigan utilities reported some 60,000 customers were still without power on Sunday night.

At least three people in Minnesota, three in Wyoming, three in Wisconsin and one person each in Texas and Kansas were killed in traffic accidents that authorities blamed on the storm.

The fatality in Texas came in a chain-reaction pileup involving more than 50 vehicles, including several tractor-trailer rigs, on Interstate 40, police said. At least 16 people were taken to hospitals, police said.

Many involved in the pileup were holiday travelers, including families with small children not dressed for the weather. Other drivers opened their own Christmas presents to provide warmer clothing for the children.
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